James, Morgan, Homestead
Why it's listed
Built around 1783 in New Britain Township, Bucks County, the Morgan James Homestead is a group of three stone buildings: a two-story fieldstone farmhouse, an attached one-story kitchen and smokehouse, and a bank barn measuring 30 by 60 feet. Morgan James, a Revolutionary War veteran who served in the Washington Life Guards and fought at Trenton and Germantown, returned to New Britain in 1783 and built the house after marrying his cousin Margaret. A three-story stone addition on the south side was added around 1840. The buildings use hand-hewn timbers joined with mortise-and-pin construction, and the barn has built-in ladders to its hay mows. The James family helped establish New Britain Township in 1723. The homestead is valued for its tie to that family and as a largely unaltered example of late eighteenth-century stone construction in eastern Pennsylvania.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the homestead is tied to the pioneer James family, who influenced early New Britain Township. It is also presented as a well-preserved example of a Federal Period fieldstone farmhouse and Pennsylvania bank barn, built by a Revolutionary War veteran, with hand-hewn and mortised construction.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001127, listed December 27, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of New Britain on Ferry Rd., New Britain Township, New Britain |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | December 27, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001127 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Circa 1783, 1843 |
| Architectural style | Federal Period; Pennsylvania bank barn |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 40.30530, -75.20084 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001127.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6911717
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.